


Rose Chronicles: Genesis (W.I.P)

by GreenRaccoon97



Series: Rose Chronicles [1]
Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic)
Genre: Gen, Inter-Canon, Nods and references to Devil Survivor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:53:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 17,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22413535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenRaccoon97/pseuds/GreenRaccoon97
Summary: The first of 10 planned stories in the Rose Chronicles series.Edit: People have pointed out, my writing formatting being a bit off with them, so I adopted a newer style on Chapter 18. Bear with me, guys.
Series: Rose Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621240
Comments: 11
Kudos: 1





	1. Act 1: New beginnings in a familiar land...

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is the first fanfic i've ever written, and there's always room for improvement. Please give me feedback on how I can do so. With that, enjoy my cross-over of Pre-Reboot Archie Sonic, and Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor.
> 
> This series takes the Amane route as canon.
> 
> Secondly, this takes place around 200 years before the events of the Sonic series proper, so don't expect any well known characters from the series to show up.
> 
> Lastly, all Sonic The Hedgeog characters belong to SEGA, and all Shin Megami Tensei Characters belong to ATLUS. No IFs, ands, or buts.

In the year 2013 in the Yamanote Circle in Japan, a cult known as the Shomonkai had released a swarm of otherworldly creatures known as "Demons" into the world with the help of a technological genius named Naoya. The Demons threatened to spread out far and wide with the help of devices known as "COMPs" that the Naoya was leaving behond for unsuspecting humans to use. This terrifying event had forced other beings under the service of God, to intruct the human government of Japan to erect a barricade all across the Yamanote Circle, ehere nobody would go in, or out so long as the Demons were around. They had also told them to stop the Demon outbreak by seven days, or they would take control, and himanity would have no say in it's future. However, when the seven day ordeal was close to ending, a young man named Kazuya, who was also stuck in the quarantine zone at the time had rose up to stop the Demons himself with his friends, Atsuro, and Yuzu. And with the strength of their own COMPs, they were successful in not only ending the Ordeal, but also preventing another one from happening again. In doing so, Kazuya had been declared a Messiah, an peacekeeper and hero to those who wished to live in orderly peace, and justice...

In the year 2037, an alien race known as the Xorda found it's way to Earth, luring many a curious government to their presence. One day, the Xordan Ambassador had come to visit the planet on a diplomatic mission for his species, but found himself under the clutches of the scientist: Ivan Kintobor. His plans required the Xordan Ambassador's mind and body to create an A.I. known as "Isaac". However, the process had killed the Ambassador, and angered the Xorda to attacking Earth. However, they did not do so unopposed...

The Angels that were put in place to protect Earth had other plans, and bought humanity time to build cities in secret that would protect them from the Xorda, should they fail. Unfortunately, they did. Not even Kazuya could save his fellow humans, for he was nowhere in sight when they came. With the Angels defeated, the Xorda delt what could best be described as a killing blow to what we know Earth to be by dropping Gene Bombs into Earth's atmosphere, turning most into a type of primordial ooze, and killing billions. Those that survived did so in the safety of their hidden cities. Others were affected by the bombs, and either died, or mutated into beings known as "Overlanders". Animals went through the same process, except something was different about them. Instead of melting, they absorbed Human DNA into their bodies by eating the ooze left behind by the humans unfortunate enough to not reach safety, and mutated into what would later be known as "Mobian". Now, nobody remembers what happened in the Yamanote Circle.

Nobody at all... Except those who were there.

The year was now impossible to say now that all records of the Old World have been lost. Now, only a mere handful of Humans and Demon alike remember The Ordeal, and now it looks as though the planet is recovering from the Xorda invasion... only to be ingulfed in what seems to be a bloody conflict between one region of what is now known as Northamer, and it's Southern neighbors. Like before, I requested to go and investigate this occurance... 

"You called for me, Lord Metatron?" I asked as I answered his call and kneeled before His precence while Metatron stood beside Him.

"Thy suggestion to aid the humans well over a Millennium ago served sublimely in harboring peace, O' Remiel. However, that peace is being threatened again by man's ever-persistent bloodlust. Thou must find investigate this conflict, and end it through peace, or through force if necessary." Metatron told me, explaining that the world below had changed from the one I had last seen. Gone were the massive skyscrapers and bustling crowds walking from place to place. Gone were the institutions where people came to learn about the world. Gone was their influence on the wrold... And yet, not all hope was lost.

"Understood. Must I go alone?" I inquired, thinking that I should since a group falling to Earth's atmosphere would attract attention.

"Unfortunately, thou must. We've already lost Earth once. We cannot afford to make our precence known again. Not yet." Metatron replied, confirming my suspicions as I turn to leave and carry out His command.

As I left, I could see some of my colleagues giving me dismissive looks as usual. Some of them were jealous of the results my plan to quarantine the Yamanote Circle even worked when they would rather just not take any chances of demons escaping, and destroyed the place.

I didn't know if I would need assistance with my mission when I arrived on the desolate land that used to be lush plains, but if I were to find it, it would have to be somewhere i'd least expect...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This the only chapter written in first person. The was that Remiel would be the protaginist, and, let the reader, you'd experience the wolrd as you know it changed from what is used to be into the one from the Sonic comics. However, I have abandoned this idea by chapter 2 because I doubt I could consistently write in first person. Especially with events and focus on other characters as we go changing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the other side of the otherworldly plane, the forces of Chaos seem to take intrest in the civil war raging above them. Just what are they planning..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill.
> 
> Sonic The Hedgehog belongs to SEGA, and Shin Megami Tensei belongs to ATLUS.
> 
> No IF's, ands, or buts.

Even with Remiel arriving on his own, attention was still drawn to him, as the Forces of Chaos sensed his arrival to the Mortal Plane. The question was, how were they going to deal with him?

"Figures... those pompous angels can't leave well enough alone..." A crystallized demon scoffed as he saw Remiel take a look around him.

"Lord Mephestopoles, the master wishes to speak to you." A Decabra spoke as it spun in place, and rolled it's one eye before it floated off, leaving Mephestopoles to see what was up. On the way, he bumped into a lesser demon, and angrily elbowed his temple, making him yelp as he fell to the ground in pain.

"S-sorry, Mephiles..." He stammered, obviously startled that his master would elbow him for a mere accident.

"Hmph. What did you want, Lance?" Mephiles asked, crossing his arms as he turned his back to Lance

"N-nothing! I just..." Lance paused, not even bothering to get up.

"Come with me. The master wants to talk." Mephiles said as he pulled Lance up and walked him to a black room with red lines moving up the walls, like electricity coursing through circuits. Inside this room was a single chair, which Mephiles sat on and used Lance as an ottoman.

"Oh? You brought a friend this time? His precence isn't necessary, Mephestopoles." A voice said, prompting Mephiles to literally kick Lance out of the room without even getting up from his seat with a sharp kick in the ribs, leaving Lance to cough as he crawled away pathetically.

"What do you want?" Mephiles sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"I won't bore you with what you already know, so i'll get right to the point. A civil war between the planet's new inhabitants is about to break out. We need someone to make sure that it does." The voice answered.

"I can send the whelp I just kicked out. I don't care about him, anyway." Mephiles stated beforewhat seemed to be the room itself hummed violently.

"You may do as you wish, but mark my words... If you kick the dog too many times, then it's only a matter of time before the dog bites back." The voice warned before the room stoped humming as Mephiles got up to send Lance to the Mortal Plane.

"W-what did he want..?" Lance nervously stuttered, unaware of what Mephiles had in mind. Just then, Mephiles quickly turned around and grabbed Lance by the collar.

"I want you to see that a civil war in the Mortal Plane takes place. That way, the new inhabitants will be weak enough for us to easily conquer them when we return from the abyss." Mephiles said before he let Lance go, making him drop to the ground and cough again. He had no idea why Mephiles was treating him this way. He wasn't Human who died, nor was he even a Mobian yet. Did Mephiles just hate him? Was he just Mephiles' stress ball whenever he remembers who he serves?

"I... I'll see... to it... just please... don't hurt me anymore..." Lance begged as he stumbled off to the Mortal Plane, hoping Mephiles wouldn't hit him just for talking.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Sonic characters belong to SEGA  
> All Shin Megami Tensei characters belong to ATLUS
> 
> No IF's, ands, or buts.

It wouldn't be much longer before Remiel found some form of the local flora. What used to be a bustling city on the Eastern coast of Northamer had become a dense jungle filled with plants with unusual colors on them. It truly looked unlikely that any trace of the old world would be found here... Or so he thought as he navigated through the wilderness.

He would soon find a castle off in the distance, along with what looked to be a small fort even further. He also saw what looked to be a furry bipedal animal walking towards the castle. Remiel wouldn't have minded so much if it weren't for the fact that this creature radiated dark power. Without hesitation, Remiel ran towards the strange creature to stop it from whatever it was that it was doing.

The creature heard what sounded like footsteps before he turned around to see what appeared to be and angel, and a powerful one at that making a beeline for him! He had to act fast, or he was done for, so he decided that the only solution was to try and run away, hoping that Remiel wouldn't catch him. However, he'd soon feel the angel tackle him and pin him to the ground.

"I shall only ask this once, demon. Why are you here?" Remiel asked as he cocked his arm back, ready to pound someone's face in.

"I-I-I didn't wanna come here! Honest! I was told about a civil war about to break out! How did y-you know I'm not like these woodland folk?" The creature asked as Remiel got off of him, and let him stand up.

"Your dark aura betrayed your disguise, demon. Who are you?" Remiel asked after explaining how to hide one's aura from others as a sign of good faith.

"I... I'm Lance..." He replied, looking confused that a species known for taking no prisoners in regards to 'unclean ones' was letting him live.

"What's wrong, Lance? You look troubled." Remiel asked, tilting his head slightly as he shown genuine concern for this unknown person. Something Mephiles never shown.

"Uh... it's nothing... Say, who are you, anyway?" Lance asked, holding one of his arms with his hand.

"I am Remiel. I was sent here to investigate a civil war, and stop it from happening. Would you care to join me?" Remiel offered to let Lance tag along.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I was gonna make things worse. Why haven't you killed me yet?" Lance asked, sounding slightly scared that he even said that.

"Do you... Do you wish to die, Lance?" Remiel asked, watching Lance's body language as he soon caught on that something was up.

"No, but..." Lance's eyes shifted nervously as he noticed Remiel looking a bit concerned.

"Then don't worry so much. Come, we have much to do." Remiel smiled as he walked towards the Castle in the distance while Lance followed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, feel free to leave a comment. I take any feedback whether it be from anons or other users.
> 
> And again, All Sonic the Hedgehog characters belong to SEGA, and all Shin Megami Tensei characters belong to ATLUS.
> 
> No IFs, ands, or buts.

As Remiel and Lance made their way to the castle up ahead of them, Remiel began to remember something from long ago... He remembered appearing before the Archangels Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel before the lockdown occured.

"You have done well in warning the Japanese government of the demons withing their borders, Remiel. Uriel, did you have something to say?" Micheal asked as Uriel crossed his arms.

"I still think we should just wipe them out from orbit and be done with it. It's the only way to be sure." Uriel scoffed, not even bothering to hide the contempt he had for Remiel.

"What he means it that you're too soft for the more demanding tasks." Raphael stated, feeling the same as Uriel, but actually hiding his contempt.

"Regardless, do you actually believe this quarantine will work, Remiel? Gabriel asked, looking unsure if Remiel was onto something, and yet she couldn't help but be curious...

"Of course. We know that these devices, or COMPS as they're called, can be used to bring forth demons into the Human world. Normally, the process would likely kill the user if they can't fight back since the contract requires the demon's defeat for it to take effect. But what if the user had... plans for these demons? Wanted to test his power before taking the world by storm..?" Remiel began to explain as he paced back and forth.

\-----------

"Hey... Remiel... Are you okay?" Lance asked as he snapped Remiel back into the present as they finally reached the Castle, prompting Remiel to turn into a Mobian form of his own to remain inconspicuous, turning his wings into a red poncho with a hood in the process. "I'm fine, Lance. I was just... remembering some things." The angel told Lance as a guard on the castle walls looked down at them.

"Excuse me. Do you know who this castle belongs to?" Remiel called out to the guard above him.

"Tis th' castle of King Silvanas Acorn. If you came for citizenship, then you came at a bad time. The Southern Baronies have currently rebelling against the King, and he's focused entirely on putting the rebellion down.

"We would like to enter anyway. We have buisness here." Remiel replied, hoping the guard wouldn't ask what kind of buisness.

"What kind of buisness?" The guard asked.

"We wish to help the King. Look... it's tough to explain, so could you please let us in? We promise not to cause trouble if that's what you're concerned about." Lance spoke up, surprising Remiel.

"Alright, just gimme a second. I better not regret this..." The guard mumbled as he lowered the drawbridge, and let Remiel and Lance inside.

Inside the castle walls, they could see people walking around without a care in the world. Going about their daily lives withing the protection of the walls. It almost reminded Remiel of the past again...

But that would have to wait for now. Right now, they needed to navigate through this crowd, and speak to King Silvanas.

\----------

Meanwhile, In the Abyss, Mephiles looking like he was planning something when the sound of a snake hissing could be heard behind him.

"You're a horrible sneak, Lilith. Your beloved pet will be the end of you one day." He told Lilith as he looked over his shoulder. 

"Hmph. At least mine's loyal. Where's yours anyway?" Lilith scoffed, walking towards Mephiles.

"He's on the surface preparing to create a civil war. He knows the price for failure, the little weakling..." Mephiles answered, revealing that he had a deep seated hatred for his whelp. Why couldn't he have someone stronger to serve him?

"That's not what I heard. I heard that he abandoned his mission on the first sight of trouble. Haha... And what's worse, he's joined up with an angel named Remiel." Lilith laughed as Mephiles quickly turned around to face Lilith.

"I'll have to see this for myself..." Mephiles said, not trusting Lilith in the slightest as he walked off.


	5. Chapter 5

Luckily, it wasn't long before Remiel and Lance reached the castle gates, despite the large crowds of people they had to walk past to even get there. However, the gates were down, and the guards were adamant in not letting anyone enter.

"I'm sorry, but King Silvanas Acorn isn't seeing anybody today. He's very busy right now." One of the guards told them.

"Is it possible to request an apointment? It's urgent that we see him." Remiel asked before the guard got closer and stood over him.

"We're in the middle of a civil war, and you just wanna walk up to him, and say 'hi'? How do I know you won't kill him for the Southern Baronies?"

"I assure you, I have no plans on killing the King. I'm no Assassin... But if I may ask, who are The Southern Baronies?" Remiel asked, before the other guard spoke up.

"Haven't you heard? They want to break away from the Kingdom and form their own country. Pfft... Don't those hicks know that we're both weaker if we're divided?" The second guard asked, as if annoyed by the situation the Kingdom had found itself in.

"Why would The Southern Baronies revolt?" Lance asked, crossing his arms as he nervously looked around. He could feel a dark, yet familiar precence looming over him, but where was it coming from?

"Heck if I know, honestly. I just make sure the King's not shot at. Speaking of which, why do you want to see him?" The second guard asked suspiciously as the first one proceeded to pat Lance down.

"I have an important message for him. Please, I must make sure it reaches him." Remiel said, keeping calm as he was searched as well. Only for the guard to pull out a Pearly White Ivory Trumpet.

"You should've told us you were a Bard, stranger. Go on through. The King would love to hear you play." The guards said as they stepped aside to let Remiel and Lance through. Still, Lance couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched...

Up on a rooftop, Mephiles sat, watching what appeared to be his whelp entering the castle. He knew that entering the way he did would draw everyone's attention, so he looked around for a way into Castle Acorn. Mephiles would soon see a window open with what appeared to be a guest of the castle. He knew that if he were to get inside, it would be through there. So Mephiles turned into a cloud of purple mist, and floated to the window until he was right under it, where he waited for the guest to either leave, or to try and close the window.

"Magistrate? The King wishes to see you now." A voice called out followed by the sounds of footsteps clattering further and further away from the room. When the coast was clear, Mephiles morphed again, and floated to the ceiling, where there was still some darkness to blend in with as he stalked the Magistrate.

It wouldn't be long before the Magistrate made his way to the King himself, Silvanas Acorn. However, before he could do anything, the door opened, prompting Mephiles to skulk back into the shadows and wait.

"Ah, thank you for bringing this to me. Any word from your neighbors?" Silvanas asked as the Magistrate handed him an admitably ornate looking straight Calvery Saber. The shape of the blade indicating that it would be used mostly for stabbing and thrusting than slashing.

"I'm afraid not. They've been quiet ever since the rebellion picked up steam... I fear they may try and oust me." The Magistrate answered, feeling a sense of unease all of a sudden. "I would suggest gathering everyone who is loyal to you, and having them meet here, but I can't abandon my people. Not while the Southern Baronies are right at my doorstep, and not while my allies turn on me without saying a word."

"How do you know the neighboring providences have betrayed you?" Silvanas asked as he looked at the Saber.

"They haven't said a word to me after the Southern Baronies gained power, and when I ask why, they simply tell me that 'Everything is alright. There's no problem here. Just worry about you.' "The Magistrate answered as Remiel and Lance's footsteps could be heard echoing louder as they got closer to Silvanas.

"Guards, take these two away." Silvanas commanded, not even sounding interested in who was standing before him.

"But we can to warn you about a coming darkness. A coming darkness that threatens to tengulf all in it's wake. Rebels, Loyalists, everyone will die unless measures are taken." Remiel told Silvanas, prompting the King to raise his hand to stop the guards as he sat down with a sullen look on his face.

"Make it quick."

"I have learned that a legion of demons will attempt to sweep the land in the coming week. If you don't let us help you unite the Kingdom under your banner, you will not have the numbers or strength needed to the coming ordeal." Remiel explained. However, Silvanas looked as though he didn't have time to humor Remiel, so he ordered that he be sent away anyway.

'This is perfect. With the King by himself, I can replace him and run the Kingdom to the ground.' Mephiles thought as he floated toward Silvanas. And he would've managed to kill him too if Remiel hadn't looked back and saw him approaching the throne.

"Stop, demon!" Remiel shouted as he shoved the guards away from himself and Lance, and made a beeline for Silvanas before Mephiles could kill him.


	6. Chapter 6

"Demon?!" Silvanas gasped as he turned around, and tripped backward, causing Mephiles to miss what would've been a killing blow before Remiel leaped forward and held Mephiles back with his bare hands. 

Is this..?" Silvanas widened his eyes as he looked upon the formidable creature that nearly killed him. How was a mere "Bard" supposed to face that?!

But as Silvanas would soon find out, this stranger was no "Bard" at all, but a being of light that clashed against this servant of darkness with such spectacular grace that it was unlike this would had ever seen. The battle even left Lance starstruck as he had never seen someone stop his master before, let alone stand up to him. As Remiel and Mephiles clashed wepons, guards could be heard running into the throne room, halberds at the ready to defend their awestruck king, and yet even they were hesitant to stop the spectical that play before them.

Regardless, Lance knew that he must do something. Anything! He wasn't sure if Remiel could handle Mephiles on his own, so despite the ever growing urge to run crawling up his spine, Lance swallowed to himself before he grabbed the saber, and swung it at Mephiles, hitting the demon in the back.

"Lilith was right..! You have betrayed us..!" Mephiles grunted in pain as he stumbled back. With his hatred for Lance overpowering all other thoughts, Mephiles dashed forwards at him, managing to cut Lance's cheek before Remiel flew above them, and landed between them.

"I hope you're... proud of your new allies, Lance. You know they show no mercy towards demons. Not even to you." Mephiles warned Lance beforebhe turned into a shadowy cloud, and flew off.

"Guards! Follow that cloud!" Silvanus commanded before Remiel stopped him.

"Call them back, your majesty! If you pursue that demon, he will be the death of you!" Remiel warned before screams could be heard, echoing from across the corridor.

"You know more about this than you look... Just who are you..?" Silvanus asked as he stepped away from this... bizarre person.

"My name is Romulus, your majesty. This is my squire, Lance. We were sent as envoys to aid in the civil war between you and the Southern Baronies." Remiel replied, remembering what Metatron said about secrecy.

"Your squire, let alone you for that matter, are not even armed. And you handled this... strange creature as though you faced his kind before. Will he be a problem?" Silvanus asked, looking actually concerned now that someone like Mephiles was on the loose.

"There is no doubt that he will return. Demons like Mephestopoles seek to cause only Chaos, and Destruction. His goal, along with others like him, is to create a world where only the strong survive. The weak, the ill, and the young have no place in a world of their creation." Remiel nodded, confirming Silvanus' suspicions.

"Then this demon will be a greater problem than the Baronies themselves. We must win this war, and unite the kingdom! Only then will we stand a chance! With our numbers, and our resources combined, we will be able to fend off this demon attack!" Silvanus proclaimed as he walked towards his throne and saw Lance with the saber.

"... ... ... You may keep that. You may need that more than I will. Besides, I have an entire armory to choose from. What's one missing saber?" Silvanus stated as he sat on his throne, and allowed Lance to keep his saber.

"Thank you, your majesty... Romulus?" Lance bowed to Silvanus before he turned around and ran to catch up with Remiel.

"Thank you for helping me when you did, Lance. You've shown courage." Remiel complemented Lance, giving him a strange feeling. Like he did the right thing, and should be proud of it. What was this? Pride? Satisfaction? He didn't know. But what he did know was that if Mephiles was going to cause trouble, then so would the other demons.

"So what now?" Lance asked as they ran across the dead bodies Mephiles left behind as they ran out of the castle.

"First we investigate that fort west of the city. Then we follow Mephistopoles. We cannot allow him to use the Southern Baronies to do his bidding." Remiel answered before Lance bumped into an blonde female Hedgehog that looked to be a member of some sisterhood. A nun perhaps? 

"Sorry! I should've been more careful." She chuckled as she got up and pulled Lance back on his feet.

"It... It's okay. Who are you, anyway?" Lance asked, looking around to see that Remiel had apparently left him behind.

"Oh, i'm Sister Gwyndis Rose." She smiled before a bell sounded off in the distance.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Maybe we'll see each other again, Mr...?" Gwyndis paused to catch Lance's name.

"Lance. I'm Lance." Lance replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, i'll see you later, Lance." Gwyndis nodded before running off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that i'm about to take up writing classes in the near future, so this and future stories will be better in terms of quality. With that said, enjoy the end of act 1.

Gwyndis had barely made to the Abbey when the bells stopped. Thankfully no one seemed to mid so much as they went about their duties.

"Gwyndis. Come in." An older female voice echoed as Gwyndis would noice a lone figure wearing the same attire as she was.

"How was your trip, Gwyndis?" The figure asked as she turned around to face Gwyndis, revealing herself to be an mobian feline in her early 50's.

"The Missionaries at the Southern Baronies were nice enough, I suppose. It was hard to hear them over the cries for a secession." Gwyndis replied as she walked towards the older woman.

"I was about to talk to you about that, Gwyndis. I've received word from Archangel Ariel that An Archangel has been sent to end this pointless bloodshed... Are you familiar with the Archangels, Gwyndis?" The older woman asked, causing Gwyndis to think hard about their names.

"Of course. There's Micheal, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Ariel, Jophiel, Remiel, Azrael, Barachiel, Selaphiel, and Chamuel. If I may ask, why are you telling me this?" Gwyndis asked, looking to the left at the window.

"As i've said, Ariel has told me that one of the Archangels has arrived to end the civil war. She's also told me to tell you to make way for the fort outside the city walls. But be cautious, Gwyndis, for demons have mobilized here on Mobius, and are plotting our destruction as we speak." Mother Superior warned as Gwyndis turned to leave before she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"This demon... who is he?" Gwyndis asked with a subtle hint of fear in her voice.

"His name is Mephistopoles, Gwyndis. He is almost as vile and brutal as his master. But don't let him scare you, Gwyndis. The Archangel that was sent here has already fought him back." The Mother Superior told Gwyndis so she wouldn't be afraid as the younger woman left the abbey.

"One more thing, Gwyndis. Put your normal attire on. If this demon is still around, then it would do you good to not look like one of us." The older woman suggested as she handed the Blonde Hedgehog a violet dress with long sleeves, and a buckle wrapped around the waist.

\------------------------------

Outside the city walls Remiel and Lance had made their way inside the fort, noticing how the uniform the soldiers were wearing were grey instead of the Kingdom's iconic blue color.

"Are these the rebels that are trying to stir up trouble?" Lance whispered so he wouldn't come across as suspicious.

"It appears so. We should try and find their commander. Then we can perhaps make them leave." Remiel suggested as they slowly walked together through the fort, observing their surroundings as they looked for the commander's tent.

"Ya think that damn king's found us out? We *are* right next door, after all." A voice with a Southern drawl asked as two soldiers walked close to Lance.

"He has to. The fact that he's done nothin' so far has got me thinkin'... Maybe he's got an informant or two. Here, in this fort." The second soldier told the first. "Who do you think it is, Clem?" The first soldier asked, sounding both confused and understandalby worried.

"Don't rightly know, Dale, but i'm willin' to bet my bottom line that he don't look like us, talk like us, or even walk like us, Dale." Clem suggested they walked past Lance, noticing that he fit their description of a spy.

"And just what're you two doin' here? This here's private property of the Southern Baronies!" The first soldier exclaimed as the entire camp was alerted to their presence, armed with weapons that looked surprisingly advanced for the kind of people they were. Things looked bad. It seemed as though only divine intervention could save Lance and Remiel now.


	8. Act 2: Who we are in the dark...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaand i'm back, and i'm happy to *be* back! Thanks to everyone on my discord for spreading the word about this fanfic, and thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story so far.

Remiel and Lance would turn around to see a few of the Southern soldiers had gathered around a blonde Hedgehog that Lance could swear he had seen before. In fact, she even sounded familiar from how she talked to the soldiers... Just then, she turned her attention towards the two. 

"Hmm? One moment, please..." She told the soldiers before she ran towards Lance.

"Is that... Gwyndis?" Lance paused before Gwyndis stopped right in front of him. 

"Didn't expect to see you again so soon, Lance. And who is this?" Gwyndis greeted Lance again before noticing the other male next to him. 

"My name is Romulus, Gywndis. My protege and I were asked to end the war." Remiel answered, although from how little he said, it was obvious to Lance that he was being tight-lipped about the details. 

"Good. This has gone on long enough. The economy is unstable from what I hear thanks to most of it being focused on the war effort. People will soon be unable to live their lives again if this goes on for another year." Gwyndis sighed, though what she said had definitely earned a few looks from the troops in the Baronies fort.

Remiel could tell that things were looking bad. People were starting to stare, and whisper to themselves. From this, he knew that if they lingered in the fort for much longer, they would be made before they'd make any progress. "On second thought Lance, I don't believe speaking to their commander would do much good... Not yet at least. Come, Gwyndis." He told Lance as he reconsidered his plan before he lead Lance and Gwyndis away. However, this made the soldiers even more suspicious.

"Sumthin's up with those three... Nobody just walks in a fort and leaves for no reason." They said amongst themselves before telling their commander what happened.

"You mean t' tell me that you thought they were strange, and you let 'em go?! They might've been spies for the King! Bring them here! Ah don't care if ya oafs have t' bring 'em back in body bags!" The Commander shouted, clearly upset about the incompetence that his post forced him to be surrounded by.

"Y-yes sir! We'll stop 'em before they get too far!" One of the rebel soldiers nodded before he took a handful of men to go with him to round up those suspicious characters.

Outside the fort, Remiel walked Lance and Gwyndis a was away from the fort before stopping at a lake. No doubt he owed them an explanation. But before he opened his mouth, a shot rang out, barely missing his head, which prompted him to quickly turn around to see that they were confronted by a small squad of Rebels.

"The commander wants to see the three of ya's! You gonna come quiet-like?" One of the Rebels asked before Remiel walked forward, and took out what looked to be an Ivory horn with his left hand. Without saying a word, Remiel spun to his right, smashing the Rebels' weapons apart before he, Lance, and Gwyndis ran off into the woods.

"We still got our swords now, don't we?! Get those spies!" They could hear the Rebels shout as they ran, knowing that a fight was inevitable.

"Now we know they're up to something! What's the plan?" Lance asked as he drew the Saber Silvanus Acorn gave him.

"We must ambush them, Lance! They outnumber us threefold, but we have the forest to use as cover. They don't." Remiel said before he pointed at a bush.

"Hide there, Lance! Don't come out until they pass you by. I will draw them out over there." Remiel elaborated further as his nodded towards a tree with a lone branch hanging over the path.

However, the Rebel soldiers could be heard running in their direction. There was almost no time to explain further.

"Take Gwyndis and go, Lance!" Remiel told Lance before he flew up and looked down at the path while Lance took Gwyndis, and hid with her in the bush.

"How did you do that, Romulus?!" Gwyndis gasped as she saw Remiel leap onto the tree branch before Lance pulled her away.

"Now's not the time, Gwyndis!" Lance exclaimed as they dove behind the bushes, and waited as Remiel told them to.

However, it wasn't long before the Rebels ran to find Remiel on a branch with his leg hanging down... As if nothing was wrong.

"Ok, you! Ya better come down from there, or we'll... we'll... we'll find a way to get you down!" One of the Rebels said, not sounding too sure of himself thanks to this one guy destroying their rifles in one swing... with an instrument of all things.

Remiel looked down on them from the branch before he sighed through his nose, and jumped down before taking his horn out to fight them. Lance took this as his cue to appear from behind the Rebels, essentially cornering them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end this on a cliffhanger, but I gotta go. Real life stuff needs doing. See ya!


	9. Chapter 9

"Just who are you guys?! You two are a lot weirder than most people!" One of the Rebels said before he clashed swords with Lance, forcing the Hedgehog to defend himself. 

No one you should trifle with, Mo-..." Remiel answered, stopping himself from giving a hint as to his true identity. 

"Mah name ain't "Mo", ya wierd freak!" One of the Rebels shot back as he, and seven others attacked Remiel, leaving only two for Lance to deal with. 

It was fortunate that the path was narrow, with only trees and bushes surrounding everyone, or Lance would had trouble since his Saber was more of a thrusting weapon more than a slicing one. A fact that one of the Rebels learned the hard way as Lance thrusted his blade into the Rebel's chest, killing him almost instantly. 

Remiel on the other hand had a more difficult time since most of the squad had focused on him. This forced Remiel to use some of his power to swiftly slam his horn against another Rebel's skull. This prompted the Rebel's stike all at once since it was clear that this stranger was very powerful indeed.

Their blades lunged forward, nicking Remiel in the chest since he managed to jump backwards before he could take any serious damage. Lance on the other hand, was about to be overpowered second opponent as the Rebel grabbed Lance's wrist, and tried to thrust his blade into Lance's chest. However, Lance had the same idea, and grabbed the Rebel's arm before he could try, forcing them to wrestle for control while Remiel had downed another Rebel with a kick to the ribs.

"T-these guys are tough! But we won't be running off now!" One of the Rebels exclaimed as they all decided to consoder Lance and easy out, and go after him just before Lanve managed to regain control of his weapon, and skewered the Rebel through the torso.

"Easy out, fellas~. This guy's not as tough as the oth-AAAAAAAHH!!!" A rebel screamed as he and two other rebels fell to the ground, dead from what looked to be a bright circle that formed under their feet before flashing brightly, as if to snuff out their lives.

"Y-You know what?! Forget this! We're gone!" The remaining Rebels declared as they decided that they should just cut their losses, and beat feet while they quickly realized that they were outmatched.

"WhatWhatever happened to not running off?" Lance muttered to himself as Remiel motioned Gwyndis to come out of hiding.

"Who... are you, Romulus..?" Gwyndis asked, looking directly at Remiel, as if she'd caught on that this Fox was no ordinary Bard.

"Is... is that your name..? Yeh... yeh won't get away with inter... fering with the... rebellion." The Rebel Remiel kicked groaned as he held onto his chest tightly.

"Why do you want to rebel against the King? Has he done his people wrong?" Remiel asked as he helped the Rabbit sit up against a tree.

"He... he's trying t' make people conform to a life under a monarchy... He talks as though he's 'freeing' us... but everyone in the south... knows the truth..." The Rebel groaned as he struggled to breath thanks to his chest injury.

"What 'Truth'? He wants this war to end as much as you claim to yourself." Remiel questioned further, hoping to follow up with the more important questions as he went.

Unfortunately, those answers would never come as the Rebel finally succumbed to his wounds, and died, slumping his head down as he breathed his last.

"This is troubling... What do we do now?" Lance asked, visibly shaken by what he heard.

"We shall be patient... Let us wait and see what will happen if we don't return to Silvanus tonight. I want to know what kind of man he is before we pick a side." Remiel answered, although he was quite vague about his plan so far.

"I thought we were on King Silvanus' side... Wait, Romulus, where are you going?" Gwyndis sighed before she saw Remiel turn to leave.

"I have an acquaintance I must meet with, Gwyndis. Return to the city with Lance, but do not speak to the King until I return." Remiel repeated himself before walking off, leaving Gwyndis and Lance to return to the Kingdom with confused thoughts running through their minds.

Remiel on the other hand, had returned to Heaven, coming across a Principality on the way in.

"Ah, you've returned, Remiel. The Archangels want to know what you've learned so far. This way." The Principality said before he guided Remiel to the Archangels before leaving Remiel alone.

"So Remiel, have you learned how to stop the conflict yet?" Gabriel asked right out the gate, as if trying to get to the point of the meeting before the others could get a remark in.

"Yes, I have a plan. I've sent my acquaintances away to the Kingdom of Acorn, this new land's local authority. However, i've told them not to speak to the King yet... Mostly because the Rebels speak of the King as though he were a tyrant. If they are correct, then Silvanus will assume we've joined the Rebels, and attack my acquaintances. If he doesn't get impatient, and trusts us to report to him on our own, then we'll know for sure what kind of man he is." Remiel explained to the Archangels.

"And how long do you plan on playing the waiting game, Remiel? We can get impatient too if this goes on for longer than it should." Uriel asked as Raphael crossed his arms.

"Perhaps Uriel speaks out of turn. What we mean is that if this drags on for too long, innocents may be killed." Raguel reiterated.

"Fear not. I shall only wait a single day before I allow Silvanus to learn what I know. Until then, I propose that we wait." Remiel nodded as he left to let the Archangels debate this solution amongst themselves.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the recent updates about hits not registering while the author is not logged in, I wish to remind you to leave a comment, and share your thoughts on the story so far. That, and so I know you've read up to this point.
> 
> Thank you for your understanding, and thank you for reading this.

Remiel sat on what looked to be stairs as he waited on the other Archangel's reply. On the bright side, this gave him time to reflect on his life up until this point. It all happened after he was cast out of Heaven for created the Nephilim, a subspecies of Human that was known to be very tall, and very strong. So strong in fact, that the Nephilim used their brute strength to dominate their human brethren, and encourage their mentality of 'Survival of the Fittest' as the 'Correct' mentality, since how would anyone expect to oppose such a tremendous force, and live?

It... didn't take long for Humans to see that live had changed, and followed the Nephilim's way of thinking, settling disputes over even the littlest of things through brutal fights to the death. And the worst part of it was not only did this make it necessary to eradicate most of mankind with a worldwide flood, but that this wasn't what Remiel, or the 200 other Angels that bred with Humans to make this happen even, wanted.

On paper, it seemed like a pleasant idea. Create a Angel/Human hybrid, have the offspring blessed with God's power, and that child, along with thousands of others, would lead Humanity into a spiritual golden age. But that wasn't what they got... That wasn't what any of them got. Instead, they basically gave their enemy what they've always wanted. A world where morality was replaced with Martial dominance. A world where the ground gleamed blood red from the bodies of both the innocent, and the guilty. Whether it was the Nephilim's terrifying strength, or the Flood that came after to wipe said Nephilim out, almost nothing was spared.

It wasn't long afterwards that Remiel, as well as the other 200 Angels who followed him got their dues for forcing God's hand into genocide, albeit, unintentionally. They were cast down, striped of their titles, and sent down into the depths below. From there, they came face to face with the very beings that they despised. The very things that they feared of becoming. Demons. It wasn't long at all before the demons did what they did best, made the fallen watchers suffer like they were made to. Make them feel their pain for once. And through time... the 200 watchers suffered at the hands of their vengeful captors, and it wouldn't be until the turn of the millennium that hope had finally arrived.

"The Archangels wish to see you now." Remiel heard a Throne say, reminding him that while he did eventually regain his title, it was only a formality at this point.

Remiel nodded and stood up before making his way up the stairs to meet with the Archangels again.

"Remiel, we've spoke to Lord Metatron about your plan. He seems to think that your words have merit to them. So we'll let you watch Silvanus before we pick a side." Michael told Remiel as he crossed his arms at him.

This came to a surprise for Remiel. A millennia go, the Archangels would've called him foolish, and shot down his suggestion. Even if it wasn't, they would've wiped anyone that didn't conform to their will, and called it a day. Maybe since nobody even knew of their existence, they figured that it wasn't worth wiping out these new animal looking creatures called Mobians. 

Not yet, at least...

"Thank you. I promise that we'll know what kind of man Silvanus is before tomorrow." Remiel nodded before he left, returning to Mobius, and shifting bavk into his Mobian form so he could tell Lance and Gwyndis. It wasn't long before he returned to the Kingdom of Acorn, and knocked on the door to an inn before asking around for them.

"Yeah, I remember a couple checking in here recently. Are you a friend of theirs?" The innkeeper asked as he looked at what room Lance and Gwyndis were staying in from his logbook.

"Yes, didn't they tell you to expect company?" Remiel asked curiously as he looked at the logbook, and signed his real name out of habit, forgetting to use his alias.

"Well, yeah actually. But they didn't say who, or how many... Come to think of it, there was another guy that asked the same question. A Mr. Phil Topeles. A name like that could only come from Central Mercia- Hey, Mister?!" The Innkeeper stood up as Remiel ran down the hall behind him to find Lance and Gwyndis before Mephiles did any real harm to them.

In Lance and Gwyndis' room, Mephiles already begun attacking Lance, shattering a window as he tackled Lance, and gave him a deep diagonal cut across his face before turning his attention to Gwyndis.

"What do you want, Mephiles?!" Lance managed to ask as he grabbed the Saber Silvanus gave him despite the harm done to his face, as blood to drip down from his forehead.

"What I want is for you to come back, Lance. Your new friend only wants you because he wished to eradicate all Pandemonium! Do you think you'll be exempt from this fate, being a demon yourself?" Mephiles asked after he managed to grab Gwyndis by her wrist, and throw her againt the wall, putting her in a daze as the back of her head began to bleed profusely.

Lance responded by attacking Mephiles, mostly because seeing Gwyndis like this reminded him of the 20 years that had happened to him. The 20 years that he cowered because he couldn't do anything...

However, Mephiles quickly turn around, and managed to smack Lance across the room, but not before receiving a cut across his chest for his trouble.

Finally, Remiel heard crying from inside Room 31, and kicked the door down to see Mephiles holding Gwyndis down on her knees as he was holding a crystal blade against her throat, and the sound of Remiel kicking the door down caused Mephiles to turn around as face him.

"You're too late, Remiel! This worthless woman's already dead! Mephiles exclaimed as Lance slowly walked behind Mephiles, ready to slash the Demon in the back.

"Lance, stop! He'll kill Gywndis if you get any closer!" Remiel warned as Mephiles turned around to show that he did indeed have Gwyndis in his hold, ready to kill her if Lance got any closer.

"Drop the blade, you worthless whelp. You're killing her." Mephiles said, attempting to guilt trip Lance into thinking that he was responsible for what happens to Gwyndis.

"Don't. you. dare. listen to him, Lance. He's too scared to face you without taking a hostage." Remiel told Lance, as he saw what Mephiles was trying to do, and tried to goad Mephiles into letting Gwyndis go.

"But he-..." Lance hesitated while Mephiles looked over his shoulder at Remiel.

"Stay out of this, puppet! Or you'll be responsible for the girl, too!" Mephiles warned, showing that he wasn't above trying to guilt trip an Angel.

"No... please, stop..." Gwyndis sobbed as she feared for her life while tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"At least i'm no coward." The Angel shot back, earning an angry glare from Mephiles.

"What did you call me?" Mephiles sneered as he began to get angry.

"You heard me, Demon. Only a coward would use a hostage to get what he wants. It's quite ironic that a Demon, especially one that believes the strong should rule over the weak, would also be the kind to hold a hostage. You must be pretty weak yourself if you have to sink that low." Remiel reiterated, causing Mephiles to throw Gwyndis onto the bed and turned around. However, Remiel had shifted into his true from, and tackled Mephiles out of a window, shattering it as they fell out of the inn, and attacked each other.

"Gwyndis! Get help! We'll hold him here!" Lance shouted as he jumped through the broken window, and left Gwyndis to get help as quickly as she could.


	11. Chapter 11

Lance had climbed out of the broken window, trying his best not to cut his hands on the broken glass as he climbed through, and saw that Remiel and Mephiles were nowhere to be found. That is, until Lance looked up, and saw two winged silhouettes fighting in the night sky on a full moon.

"Look behind me, puppet of God. Do you see something... odd..?" Mephiles smirked as he floated in place while the full moon shined behind him. This wasn't good. Remiel could already feel his eyes slightly shaking against his will. He had to defeat Mephiles fast, or Lance might get hurt... or worse. On the ground, Lance looked around to see if there was something he could do to help Remiel. While he looked, he saw a stack of crates that he could use to climb onto the rooftops, so he did while Remiel and Mephiles continued to trade blows.

"Wha... What..?" Lance gasped as he suddenly felt the full moon's effects slowly turning him more and more bloodthirsty. He couldn't help but unshethe his saber, and point it at Mephiles.

"You have no idea how long i've waited for this, you bastard!!" Lance shouted in a bloodthirsty rage, which got both Remiel, and Mephiles' attention.

"Lance, run! He's too powerful for you right now!" Remiel warned before Mephiles knocked him unconscious, causing him to land on the crates, and smash them to pieces on impact.

"Does the boy want to bleed?! Does he want to die for me?! He should know who he belongs to before running his mouth!!" Mephiles shot back with a deranged look in his eyes thanks to the full moon, and flew down to attack Lance.

On the other side of the street, Gwyndis had just run past several people who happened to be out at night, making them wonder what had her so worked up.

"Hey lady! What's wrong?!" She could hear them ask as she ran past them on her way to the castle. When she got to the castle gates, she panted heavily thanks to how far she had to run to get to the castle, and grabbed onto the gate for support to keep her standing.

"Open up!!! Please, somebody open up!!!" Gwyndis begged as she was on the verge of tears since it seemed that there was nobody to open the gate for her.

"Wait a moment, woman! What're you blabbering on about?" A voice rang out from the other side of the gate before three guards came into view. The guards were wearing bright blue surcoats with the Kingdom's symbol emblazened on the cloth that rested in front of the actual chainmail armor the guards wore, along with each of them being armed with short Halberds.

"There's a horrifying person at the Inn South of here! He's ransacked our room, and is attacking my friend! Please hurry!" Gwyndis cried out as she explained the situation. Thankfully, this got the gate to open, and the guards to come out.

"Lead the way, miss! We're right behind you!" One of the guards nodded at Gwyndis before she began leading them back to the inn.

Back at the alley behind the inn, Remiel had finally woken up, and shook his head to snap himself out of the daze he found himself in before he got up, and flew to the roof to help Lance out. He had no idea how long it would be before either he or Lance went berserk, but there was no way he was going to let Mephiles walk free. Regardless of the Moon Phase.

Mephiles on the other hand looked like he was already berserk considering how savagely he was attacking Lance, managing to cut deeply into his chest, and left leg before Remiel even had a chance to intervene. Lance's worsening condition only made Remiel cast Hama at Mephiles in an attepmt to end the battle quickly before things got even worse, but Mephiles grabbed Lance, and jumped out of the way, back onto the ground below.

"He's toying with us..! He's waiting until the moon makes us lose our ability to reason!" Remiel muttered to himself before he flew down, and smacked Mephiles out of the way before casting Maragi, dealing fire damage to Mephiles while Lance struggled to stand.

"I'm gonna... I'm gonna kick that bastard's ass-!" Lance yelled in a bloodthirsty rage before Remiel knocked him out with a punch to the back of the head.

"Is that how agents of God reward their allies? What until I tell~. Mephiles purred as he got up, and taunted Remiel for knocking Lance out.

"You should know by now what the Moon can do to us, Mephistopoles. Not even you are immune to it's effects." Remiel retorted, pointing an accusatory finger at Mephiles for his attempt at stalling for time.

"Are you so sure of that?" Mephiles bluffed, trying to make Remiel think that he really was immune to the Full Moon as he dashed forward, and managed to cut Remiel's abdomen, making him back off as s blood dripped on the ground. And yet despite this grievous wound, the archangel showed no fear.

Remiel retorted by flying back on the roof, and casting Mahama over and over again, hoping to eventually hit Mephiles at least once, for one hit was all he needed to win. Despite this attempt however, Mephiles dodged left and right, avoiding the light that Mahama was projecting before finally dashing towards Remiel when it seemed he was done. However, this turned out to be a trap since Remiel cast Hama on himself, timing it just right so that it would hit Mephiles.

"Kk-aaaaaagh! GAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Mephiles screamed as his arms began to disintegrate from getting hit by Hama. It was safe to say he was mentally curing himself for attacking right away when he had the chance.

"Damn you!!! Damn all of you!!!" Mephiles yelled at Remiel before he turned into a dark cloud, and fled. Remiel breathed a quiet sigh of relief before he grabbed Lance, and flew off back to Heaven. At least there they would be safe from the Full Moon. And... he honestly didn't trust himself to hold it together much longer after hia fight with Mephiles. He didn't trust Lance to not start murdering people if he woke up before the sun rose. Even if this did confuse Gwyndis, it was better safe than sorry, since she would likely be the first killed if he or Lance stuck around for much longer.

When Gwyndis and the guards arrived, they would see that her room had indeed been ransacked, but there was no sign of Lance, Mephiles, or even Remiel.

"Ms Rose, you should find another room to stay in while we investigate. And don't leave the building until we finish. We may need to ask you a few questions." One of the guards told Gwyndis before he joined the other two guards in investigating the room.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Lance woke up, and found himself in a bed with soft, cream colored blankets resting next to what looked to be a balcony to his right, which hanged over a walkway used to walk across a waterfall. The ground itself seemed unnaturally clean. Lance could actually see his own reflection as he looked down onto the floor. So far this place, wherever he was, seemed like a perfect paradise... almost TOO perfect...

Lance looked over the balcony, and saw what looked to be a woman with a crown of various flowers on her head tending to some flowers that were growing on the edge of the water. She looked up, and saw Lance looked down at her before she flew up to the balcony, causing Lance to stumble when she landed.

"Do not be alarmed. Remiel has told me of you when he arrived. Have you slept well?" She asked once Lance stood back up.

"As... As well as I could've, actually, Yeah. Who are you?" Lance asked as he raised an eyebrow at the winged woman in front of him.

"I am the Archangel Ariel, and this part of God's kingdom is my domain. I tend to the local flora and fauna that you will no doubt come across as you look around." Ariel nodded, introducing herself to Lance.

"This... "God's Kingdom" you're talking about... That's where I am, right?" Lance asked rhetorically. After all, the beauty of what was around him was... unreal...

"That's what I said, yes. Feel free to roam the gardens, if you wish. And one more thing, Remiel wishes to speak to you, Lance. When you are ready, speak to him." Ariel told Lance before she got back to her garden.

Lance would encounter some harmless wildlife like birds and foxes, and Deer. But these weren't the kind that he saw on Mobius. They looked different... Foreign, even. At least, in his eyes. These creatures almost had no worries in the world. Almost as though they were domesticated in some way. No doubt Ariel had a hand in that. But all of this would have to wait. Remiel was waiting for him... wherever he was...

Luckily, the tan brick road Lance was on lead him out of the garden, where Remiel in his true form was waiting for him.

"It is good to see you awake, Lance. Did you sleep well?" Remiel asked as he turned around to face Lance.

"About as well as I could... ever hope to, I suppose." Lance hesitantly told him, unused to the genuine patience Remiel was showing Lance as they walked on the clouds ahead of them.

"That is good to hear, Lance. No doubt Ariel has told you where we are..?" Remiel paused as Lance nodded, confirming that Remiel didn't need to repeat what Lance was told.

"What you saw was what used to be God's kingdom in it's entirety. However, after the Nephilim came, and... forced us to flood the Earth below, our brethren splintered into factions. One, led by one that used to be one of us, led a failed insurrection against our Lord. But he, and his cohorts were cast into the depths below. No doubt you know where that place is since you were conceived there." He began, explaining to Lance how what used to be called Abyss came to be.

"While this fallen sect of our fold became what you know as Pandemonium, two factions remained. The Templars of The Word, who became disillusioned with Mankind, and wish for a world of total order where mankind has no say on it's future, and it's path is dictated by us." He continued, causing Lance to look at Remiel suspiciously. Was he suggesting to end the Civil War through totalitarianism?

"And lastly, there is the Paladins of the Cross. While we agree that Mankind needs our influence, we do not wish to force it upon them. That is a choice for them to decide." Remiel assured Lance, as if knowing the look he just got a minute ago.

"What happened to make the Templars give up on humanity?" Lance asked, causing Remiel to stop in his tracks, as if his question brought back bad memories 

"Some of us... were enthralled by the looks of the female body. Ensnared by it. Like a gleaming light that shined to signify treasure... They... wanted to satiate their desires, and bred with the human women. It seemed innocent at first. Their children would've had our power, and hopefully, our wisdom. They thought they would make the world a better place. However, they grew into giants, and instead of using their unique power for Order and Good, they used it for evil. To crush, dominate, and be revered as gods themselves." Remiel explained, showing some signs of discomfort, which worried Lance a little.

"And then this... God wiped them out, yeah?" Lance shrugged before Remiel placed his hand on Lance's mouth.

"The Human race was nearly wiped out too... the humans who revered the giants called the Nephilim, were wiped out in a global deluge, leaving only a select few to repopulate the human race again." He continued before he removed his hand from Lance's mouth. Remiel looked sullen, melancholy, almost as if he was hiding some form of guilt from Lance. But what..?

"Look there, Lance. That mechanical plane of Heaven. That... mockery of God's order... is home to the Templars. Those who dare commit vile acts in his name... I sincerely hope you do not consider such a morally depraved place your home..." Remiel rambled, displaying an unusually open disgust towards what looked to be a city with grey buildings covered in dark grey fog.

"That said... most of our superiors reside there... We will have to go into that place if I am to introduce you to them." He sighed before he lead Lance into the grey city.

In the depths below, Mephiles had returned to recover from his battle with Remiel, managing to regrow his arms again before he began getting perstered by an Ucobach. 

"Hehe hehe, looks like you were, hehe, disarmed." The Ucobach laughed in a nasaly voice. It almost made Mephiles want to grab it by it's long nose, and throw it against the wall for that joke. But he just sighed angrily, and walked off, hoping to catch up to Lance and Gwyndis now that he had fully recovered from last night. On his way, he bumped into Lilim, and kept walking, earning a sneer from Lilith's daughter as Mephiles didn't even acknowledge who he bumped into. Just then, he had an idea. He could use the Civil War as a means to have his work done for him. Now if he could convince the Rebels to follow through... He'd have to find a way to make them desperate if they already weren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The halfway point has finally been crossed. How will Mephiles use the Civil War to his advantage? And why does Remiel feel so melancholy about The Global Deluge? Stay reading to find out!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin, I would like to thank Spirit Rosewolf for the idea of the mechanical looking city being home of the Templars. With that, enjoy the fanfic.

The city had a tense feel to it. While the sun shone as brightly as ever, something felt... off... The city's inhabitants had shiny, metallic skin. Like they were not even humans, nor even Angels, yet looked like them. They didn't really have any expressions on their faces either... Almost as if their thoughts were of cold, stoic, logic... or what passed for logic in a place such as this. 

The sky up above shined an celestial gold through the pristine skyscrapers that towered over Lance and Remiel, giving off an impressive display of a perfect society. One of absolute authority in The Lord's name. And yet, Remiel refered to this place as a "mockery" of such an authority. That said, why would he willingly serve such a place if he hated it's idea of their order?

"That building. The one that looks like a Basilica. That is where we must go right now. The Archangels are waiting for us there." Remiel told Lance, pointing at the ornate tower a few blocks ahead of them.

"Who are the Archangels? They seem important if they're in that detailed looking tower." Lance inquired as they walked to the tower.

"They are the authority of this place. They receive their commands from Metatron, as we do, and act out his commands." Remiel answered just as they entered the tower. The tower looked to be empty, except for what looked to be an elevator of some sort. Upon standing in the middle of this elevator, it proceeded to carry them all the way to the top on it's own.

"You seemed hesitant when we talked about The Deluge. Almost as though you looked guilty of something... Is something wrong?" Lance asked as they moved upwards towards the top of the Basilica.

"I'll tell you the truth... but not now. I'm... not ready to do so yet." Remiel spoke, hesitant to even come up with an answer despite his promise. Lance was right. He did look guilty. But of what?

Thankfully for Remiel, it didn't take for the elevator to reach the top, where what appeared to be four winged figures in majestic medieval styled armor seemed to have been waiting for them. Though none of them seemed to be either pleased or upset by their presence, giving Lance an unusually awkward feeling now that he was in their presence.

"Michael... Where is Lord Metatron? He should be here by now." Remiel asked as he looked around the room.

"Lord Metatron had buisness elsewhere, and has left us in command of the situation on Earth." Michael responded.

"Assuming your naivete hasn't ruined whatever it is you've planned?" Uriel crossed his arms at Remiel before Gabriel stepped in.

"Perhaps Uriel speaks out of turn... And who is this small creature you've brought to us? Is he one of those new beings that inhabit Earth now?" Gabriel asked, since she noticed Lance first.

"This is Lance. He's been through more than his share of woes. I will not lie to you. He's not of the world below. He was born in the firey depths beneath that place." Remiel answered honestly, earning a suspicious glare from both Raphael and Uriel.

"Bold, given your power... Foolish, but bold." Gabriel noted before she flew back to the curved desk, and took her seat.

"Why have you brought this... whelp here? He could be a threat given where he comes from." Raphael stated before he and Uriel flew back to their seats as well.

"I figured that he could help stop Mephestopoles' plans. He's mobilizing as we speak, and he may not be the only one." Remiel answered.

"Help us? The whelp doesn't look like much, let alone, righteous... Have you brought a broken soul before us, Grigori?" Uriel asked, giving Lance a dismissive look beforr he turned his focus onto Remiel again.

"Remiel, leave us. We will evaluate the whelp ourselves." Michael said before Lance butted in.

"I'm getting sick of everyone calling me a whelp! Like I only exist to be the world's punching bag! For my entire life, that's what I was before that man found me..!" He blurted out, holding back tears as he pointed at Remiel, who was walking away on Michael's command before a tense silence followed.

"And just how long have you lived in such conditions... Lance? How old are you?" Gabriel started off, figuring that she ought to be the one to break the silence.

"20... I've never known life outside of Mephiles' grasp." Lance held back his tears as he gave his answer. The mere mention of Mephiles' name almost made Uriel widen his eyes, almost out of pity.

"Was this your first time out of The Depths? How did you escape?" Raphael asked, as he continued this line of questioning.

"No... I was sent on a quest by Mephiles to... make sure the war ended with both sides destroyed... so that the demons could have no resistance when they took over." Lance sniffled before he gave his answer.

"Do you even wish to carry out his plans? You don't look like you truly wish to. If anything, your past with him causes many issues with you." Gabriel stated before Uriel could even open his mouth to speak.

"No... if anything, I want to get back at him for what he did to me." Lance stood up straight, as if to try and gain confidence in that now, his revenge seemed possible.

"And you weren't sent there. You were made there, yes?" Gabriel asked once more, just to be sure Remiel was telling the truth. To which, Lance nodded.

"Thank you, Lance. That will be all." Gabriel nodded at Lance before she dismissed him so she could talk about what they've just heard amongst themselves.

"Mephistopoles has already mobilized if he's sent the boy. Especially now, since he'd abandoned his mission. No doubt he may take this matter upon himself. And there's no doubt he'll kill Lance." She stated, although to most, that was obvious.

"The boy is not our concern. What IS our concern is stopping this Mephistopoles." Uriel interjected.

"Our foolish friend had forgotten to report on the matter below..." Raphael sighed deeply before Gabriel stood up.

"If you'll excuse me-"

"By all means. Bring our fool back! It's almost like his power has gotten into his head." Uriel interrupted Gabriel before she walked off, though judging by the sounds of her footsteps, she was holding some anger back as she left. Outside, Gabriel would find Remiel standing outside, as if waiting for Lance.

"You forgot to tell us something." She told him, getting right to the point with Remiel.

"I did? Oh. Right, the Civil War below. The situation is bad. They've already started taking sides. It won't be long now before lives are lost." Remiel told her as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Remiel, do you know who's pulling the strings? Because I suspect a third party's involvement in this." Gabriel inquired before Remiel walked up to her.

"Mephistopoles? He seems the obvious answer... though I should know that's not what you mean." Remiel raised an eyebrow as Gabriel crossed her arms.

"I suspect human involvement. That said, it's only a token force behind the scenes. I want you to find these humans, and take care of them before they make things worse." Gabriel nodded.

"You will train Lance while i'm away? He has potential, but as it stands now, he's no match for Mephistopoles." Remiel asked regarding Lance.

"You worry too much for him... I sometimes wonder why you do these things..." Gabriel said after she turned her back to Remiel.

"Because I remembered what you've told me. That mankind isn't worth giving up on. That out of all of God's creatures, they have the most potential to do good. Even if most won't, it seems." Remiel answered as he slowly turned Gabriel around, making her blush slightly.

"That's... no excuse to be so stupid at times..." She rolled her eyes before Remiel gently placed his hand on her cheek.

"I can be, at times. But it's only because I care." Remiel nodded as he looked directly at Gabriel.

"About who? Them... or us..?" She could help but say before she snapped out of her trance, and walked off with a deep blush on her cheeks.

"We'll take care of the boy for now. Just don't die on him." She spoke in a quiet, yet stern voice to hide the feelings that she had just felt a moment ago before she walked back inside, and left Remiel to carry out his buisness.


	14. Chapter 14

Back in the chambers inside, Lance was being asked even more questions regarding his past. It almost started feeling like an interrogation considering how long it went. And near the end, one question stood out among all the rest.

"Have you made any connections with the world below?" Uriel asked as he clasped his hands together, and rested his chin on top of them. Almost as if he was trying to read this foreigner.

"There's this girl. Gwyndis." Lance nodded as Gabriel had re-entered the room, and sat back down on her seat.

"We've heard of this Gwyndis. She's morally upright, pious, even. What did she see in the likes of you?" Micheal asked as Lance quickly darted his eyes at him. Almost as if that last part was said just to see how he reacted to being belittled.

"Because i'm not from here?" Lance raised an eyebrow at Micheal, as if trying to make him get to the point.

"As a matter of fact, yes. You are not from here... Nor should you even be here... And yet our fool has brought you here..." Micheal retorted, as if trying to anger Lance by insulting the first person who thought his life meant something. But why? Was this a test? Were they trying to cast him away? Lance had no idea of knowing. For all he knew, they did this to everyone who comes in here.

"What makes Remiel an idiot for bringing me here?" Lance cringed, trying to hold back any hint of anger he could have so he wouldn't embarrass Remiel any firther if he did at all.

"He hasn't told you? Of course he wouldn't." Uriel scoffed before he stood up and walked towards Lance.

"Remiel was one of the 200 Angels known as the Grigori that bred with humans, creating a superbeing known as the Nephilim. While the Nephilim has both the flesh of man, and the powers of His Holiness, they used that power to crush, and suppress their human brethren into submission. Thus, creating a world where only the strong survived, and all else were eradicated, a world which you should be familiar with..." Uriel began, turning his back to Lance as he slowly walked away from him.

"What were the Grigori?" Lance raised an eyebrow before he walked towards Uriel, stopping only once he turned to face Lance.

"They were Watchers that were meant to keep watch over mankind once the first two humans ate from the Tree of Knowledge. However, that's another story for another time. What matters now, is you." Uriel answered, immediately bringing the conversation back on track.

"What will you do with me now that i'm here? No doubt you don't think I belong here." Lance shook his head as he walked back a few steps.

"We have plans for you, wandering creature. But you are ill-prepared to overcome them. We will call forth a tutor to help bring you up until you are ready for what is to come.We will call you when you are ready." Gabriel told Lance, dismissing him from the room.

Grigori? Tree of Knowledge? Tutor? Lance wasn't sure of how to think or even feel about this.Sure it felt sudden that he was being given some sort of special treatment. Even if they did detest him already. Still, the meeting only gave Lance more questions that he needed to ask Remiel. Questions that he was sure he knew the answers to...

\----------

As Remiel descended back down to Mobius, he recalled the time when he "Fell". The time where his actions inadvertently forced his master to nearly destroy his creation, just to save it from Remiel's... He also remembered what happened to him and some of the Grigori after they Fell. They were no doubt touted around like trophies or conquered slaves shown off to an jeering crowd. A crowd that thought if nothing more than to see him broken.

He remembered meeting Lilith there, in the depths below. She found it amusingly ironic. But he didn't know why at first. If anything, she had only heard of this woman. He didn't know what she looked like. He also remembered when he found his way out. He remembered that the world was a very different place than the one he left behind. The Heaven itself seemed to have changed... Buildings touched the skies and the plains and desserts that dotted the land had changed to asphalt, concrete, and metal. The human world looked so... unknown, alien even, to him. And now the world had changed yet again back to the plains that came before the advancement of Man. And yet, it still felt unfamiliar...

But none of that mattered at the moment. For now, he needed to check on Gwyndis before he continued his mission. And maybe Lance could refine his swordplay while he was away.

As Remiel assumed Mobian form again, and began to walk back to the Kingdom of Acorn, he looked around to see where he was. It looked to be an hour past 12 if the sun was to be believed. Did he really spend all morning tending to Lance..? What ran through Gwyndis' mind throught this whole ordeal? And were these Rebels really under the employ of a third party? Was this third party human, or of demonic origin..? He almost cringed at the thought of having more questions than answers. Especially now that the Archangels were getting impatient with him.

Maybe when he returned, he would tell Lance what happened. Tell him exactly what he was hiding from him... But the Kingdom was finally in view, and there was no telling if Mephilis would try again after last night. It wouldn't be a Full Moon again for some time, so he'd have to be more careful now more than ever. Remiel only hoped that Gwyndis was okay...


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the 100 hits. It means a lot to me that i've reached that milestone, and it helps inspire me to keep going with this. Again, thank you, everybody, and enjoy.

Back in the Kingdom of Acorn, Gwyndis could be seen waiting outside of the city walls, waiting for the moment when Lance would return. Knowing that she would've died without his help, as well as knowing who he really was, almost made her want to return the favor. Make her want to help him break away from Mephilis' grip.

She almost gave up looking for Lance after that skirmish last night. The guards found a destroyed room, but nothing much else. As far as they knew, Gwyndis' room had to have been ransacked, or something. Her description of Mephilis seemed outlandish too. A Hedgehog made entirely out of dark crystal..? That HAD to have come from a nightmare. But it didn't. It was real. And she almost lost her life last night.

"Hmm..? That doesn't look like a rebel battalion..." Gwyndis muttered to herself once she caught sight of a crowd of weirdly dressed acolytes carrying a throne with a human shaped woman sitting on it. Her skin was a dark blue, with white stripes running across her body. She had weirdly shaped horns on her head, and her eyes had a golden color to them. Gwyndis didn't know it yet, but there was something very... off here.

"Why couldn't we find Lions here? There's animals all over the place." The weird looking woman sighed as her acolytes lowered her throne to the ground. The mere sight if this strange looking woman made Gwyndis question if this was even a dream at this point, or some random bout of hysteria.

"Uhh... Who are you..?" Gwyndis asked cautiously. For all she knew, this woman was just as dangerous as Mephilis.

"Can't you tell? Of course not. I don't have my lions with me. I'm looking for a man. Long, Henna colored hair, has a grudge against his owner." The woman dodged Gwyndis' question by asking her own. Judging by the description she gave, she was no doubt after Lance.

"You didn't answer my question..." Gwyndis narrowed her eyes at the taller, slender woman in front of her before she stood in front of the gate.

"Lady Cybele, perhaps we should-" one of the acolytes spoke before Cyble raised her hand to silence him.

"Have it your way. I will find him. And I will bring him home." Cybele smirked before she turned to walked off with her acolytes following her.

Something was very, VERY wrong here. First off, who was this Cybele? Why was she after Lance? And why didn't she persist further if she really wanted to find him? It was probably a hunch, but Gwyndis felt her bones shake as she felt that this wouldn't be the last time this odd, yet weirdly threatening demon would meet her.

It wasn't hard for Gwyndis to see Cybele making her way to the Rebel fort. However, it was odd that she didn't hear sounds of commotion from the fort. Perhaps she talked them into an alliance? The Rebels would be desperate enough if push came to shove...

Luckily, Remiel happened by as soon as Cybele's acolytes were gone from view.

"Gwyndis, you're shaking, what's wro-" Remiel got cut off as Gwyndis glomped him, allowing him to feel her bones shake. Did Mephilis return while he was away?

"Gwyndis... You're making me concerned for you. Who was that?" Remiel asked as he gently pulled Gwyndis' hands off of his body.

"Some weird lady called Cybele showed up. She looked like she was friends with Mephilis because she wanted to find Lance. I... I honestly thought she was gonna hurt me to make me talk." Gwyndis shook, explaining her fear to the Archangel in disguise.

"Looks like she has something else planned. And perhaps my hunch could be wrong." Remiel muttered as he turned to face the Rebel fort off in the distance.

"A hunch?" Gwyndis tilted her head, wondering what he meant by that.

"I thought the Rebels were getting aid from humans. What would they gain if the Kingdom fell?" Remiel inquired, making Gwyndis' eye light up because she now had something useful to tell him.

"The Overlanders are our sworn enemies. They pollute the planet, and the toxic chemicals they protrude from their buildings drive us Mobians insane... You think they are helping the Rebel cause?" She crossed her arms as she walked next to Remiel.

"It's possible if what you say rings true. However, I need you to keep an eye on Cybele while Lance and I investigate these Overlanders." Remiel told Gwyndis, causing her to shake again.

"But she saw me up close! She knows what I look like! What if she... you know..." Gwyndis shivered before Remiel placed his hands on her shoulders. 

"His light will protect you, Gwyndis Rose. Have faith in it, and it will be your shield against the demons." He nodded before he flew off to let Gwyndis infiltrate the Rebel fort on her own.

The base was crowded now that Cybele's acolytes were in it. If they really wanted to, they could take over. The question was: 'Why haven't they yet?'

"Where would someone like Cybele be..?" Gwyndis muttered to herself before she quickly gave up, and started asking around. She figured that because she was just a normal girl, she didn't seem too much like a threat.

\----------

High up in the clouds, Lance had returned to the Archangel's chambers, as requested, where he saw what looked to be a sinister looking fella with black hair with a large halo on his hunched back. 

"Lance, until Remiel returns, you will obey Mastema's instructions. He will prepare you for you coming battles. Is that clear?" Uriel told Lance, crossing his arms at the Mobian in front of him. 

"Who's Mastema?" Lance asked, wondering what made him so important. 

"Mastema's... different. He has the power to control and summon demons, but he himself serves our cause." Gabriel explained, showing hesitation in her voice. Even she thought Mastema was slimy. Heck, everyone knew Mastema was slimy. But for some reason, they kept him around... for some reason... 

"Is this the one you wish me to train? He doesn't look like he's eager to learn." Mastema commented as his looked down at Lance.

"If you can do what they say, than who else?" Lance raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Mastema. This made the Angel-Demon hybrid curious as to how far he can push this young one as they both walked started to walk out of the chambers, and out of the Templars' domain.


	16. Chapter 16

"Lance, do you think "The ends justifies the means" is a good code to live by?" Mastema asked as he and Lance walked off by themselves to where Lance could train undisturbed.

"That would depend of the ends." Lance replied, still thinking that this would help him get his revenge. He was still furious with Mephilis for 20 years of abuse. He'd take any opportunity to get back at him for it. No matter the cost.

"Truly, a prudent answer. By mortal standards, what we do is too much in thier eyes. But ask yourself this, Lance. Who's been fighting our enemy as long as we have? So long that we've learned to take what some consider drastic measures to save humanity from self-destruction." Mastema nodded before he stopped in his tracks, and pointed a few feet in front of him. No doubt he wanted Lance to stand there before they begun their training.

"Here, Mastema?" Lance asked rhetorically as he walked to where Mastema pointed. His saber still in it's scabbard as suddenly, what looked to be a humanoid shaped birdman swooped down, and attacked Lance with it's feet! Lance had barely any time to pull out his saber before he took a talon claw to his face.

"Demons will occasionally attack without warning! You must gain a sixth sense for them if you are to live! Gagyson, prepare a Zio spell!" Mastema proclaimed as he commanded the Gagyson to fly up over Lance, and ready it's magic. Lance only had but a moment to get out of the way, lest he get electrocuted!

"What even IS that?!" Lance exclaimed as he unsheathed his saber once he was a safe distance away.

"That is Gagyson! A demon that roams the underworld. You will meet many like him in our battle against darkness, and they will not hold back. Not even for you." Mastema answered before he commanded the Gagyson to pursue Lance.

Lance responded by swiping sideways at the Gagyson, giving the winged bird-demon a gash across the chest. However, this wasn't enough to put it down. Gagyson retaliated by flying up over Lance, and kicking him in the face as he turned around, knocking him onto the ground.

"Always keep your focus on your enemy! It could mean your life!" Mastema shouted while Lance got back up. Just in time for the Gagyson to grab Lance by it's talons, and fly up. Lance could feel an slight vibration from the talons, making him believe that it was planning to electrocute him in mid-air! Without a second to lose, Lance thrusted his saber at the Gagyson, who tried to move it's body out of the way, only for Lance to cut it's left wing instead. With a shrill cry, the Gagyson began to quickly plummet from the sky not that it couldn't have both wings to support the both of their weight. Lance struggled to free himself from the Gagyson's talons, and at the cost of deeply cutting his shoulders on the tips of the talons, he did, and just in time to as the Gagyson landed hard onto the ground. The impact most likely killed it. Still, there was no telling with demons, so with a pained groan, Lance got up, and walked to the Gagyson before stabbing it with his saber.

"You've proven to me that you can handle yourself. But you're wounded. If a mere pawn of darkness can harm you so, then perhaps we should work on your form." Mastema told Lance just as Remiel walked in on them.

"Not bad, Lance. But Gagysons are mere pawns, as Mastema says. Anything stronger would've done more than cut your shoulders." Remiel said, reminding Lance that what he killed was nothing serious. And yet it did do some damage to the unrefined Lance. After all, his shoulders were still bleeding from the fight.

"Are there other tests? There's gotta be more to this than fighting." Lance asked impatiently, making Remiel concerned.

"There's more to this, Lance. But we'll go over them soon. For now, talk to Raphael while I look over these "Overlanders" Gwyndis told me about." Remiel nodded before he turned to leave, only for Lance to run in front of him.

"Is she alright? Mephilis didn't hurt her too bad, didn't he?" Lance questioned, knowing all too well of Mephilis' cruelty.

"Mephestopoles, as he call him, might have shaken up the poor girl. Physically, she is well, but she seemed... scared." Remiel told Lance before he told him about Cybelle.

"Cybelle? From what I remember, both her, and Loki always have their own agendas. They just follow Mr. Cypher's orders because he amuses them... That said, Cybelle's more consistent than Loki. She's basically a cold reminder that man and nature came from the earth, and will always return to it in the end." Lance tried his best to recall his time with Cybelle.

"Anything else? Gwyndis seemed frightened by her when I appeared." Remiel questioned further, figuring that the sooner he learned of Cybelle's part in this, the sooner he can get to looking up the Overlanders once she was dealt with.

"She's usually got an entourage of acolytes with her that surround this charriot pulled by Lions that she always rides. The acolytes themselves are a mixed bag. A few are decent, though some are a bit creepy..." Lance continued, recounting a time that one of them actually lusted for Cybelle, and went insane after marrying another woman.

"Hmm... Lance, you should tell Raphael this when you visit him. After he's taken care of you, he'll send a small force to stop Cybelle from causing chaos in this already troubled time. Afterwards, I want you to continue your training with Mastema. Once we're both finished, I want you to come with me to investigate the Overlanders. Gwyndis thinks they are the cause behind our woes." Remiel told Lance as he walked off, dismissing him to go to Raphael.

As Remiel began to return to the earth, he began to remember the moment when the ordeal ended. When the sky's burning anger was quelled, and demons returned to their world under a new master. One that would walk the path of rightousness, and help these fell beings redeem themselves in God's eyes... Looking back, it felt like only yesterday when that happened. The Thousand Year Kindgom turned out to be a Ten Thousand Year Kingdom thanks to their new Messiah. If only he hadn't disappeared when the Xorda came...


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the year-long wait. This was supposed to be done many months ago, but I got sidetracked. Anyways, enjoy the chapter until the next hiatus.

While Lance was walking around, looking for Raphael, Remiel had appeared in what looked to be Overlander territoy. The place reeked with pollution, as though they knew nothing about the planet, and it's life-blood. The sight of their abuse of nature almost made the archangel cringe, but he figured that actually doing so might blow his cover. A cover that wasn't very good, to be perfectly honest. He was still in his Mobian form, after all, and it didn't take long for him to be noticed.

Around Remiel stood large, four muscular men with what looked to be breathing masks covering their mouths. Their eyes a subtle shade of red where the whites of a human's eyes should be. Judging by their towering posture, and them closing themselves around this seemingly defenseless Mobian, they probably saw him as an intruder of some kind.

"Look at this, one of the walking critters made their way here after all." One of them said, placing his arm onto Remiel's shoulder, earning him a quick toss over the the Angel's shoulder towards his pals in front. Remiel was no fool. He knew punks like these only understood force. It was a lesson he'd learned after... that day... Besides, if what Gwyndis said was true, then it wouldn't be possible for a Mobian to act friendly towards these guys and NOT come out with stitches.

"Heh! I was wondering when they'd get bold! Get him!" One of them yelled, prompting the rest to attack him all at once. At this point, Remiel had no choice but to blow his cover, or he'd get one hell of a beating from these absolute units. He immediately changed to his true form, and knocked them back with his wings, giving him some breathing room to defend himself as the Outlanders got back up from getting knocked down.

"Azazel told us you'd show-" One of them said before another punched him in the face.

"Dude, you can't go around telling people about him!" He proclaimed, accidentally knocking his buddy out with that punch.

'These Outlanders are not too bright, are they?' Remiel thought to himself as he quickly countered another attack by grabbing the incoming fist, and kicking his assailant in the chest, sending him reeling from the blow.

"Where is Azazel? Why is he here?" Remiel questioned the groveling thug before one of them grabbed him from behind, wrapping his large arms around his torso.

"I got 'em! I got the winged little bastard!" The large man exclaimed before Remiel pushed him back with his wings, and sent him spinning to the wall with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

The remaining Outlanders looked at each other, before they decided to attack together, prompting Remiel to fly back to avoid the giant, 'roided up fists heading his way before he threw his Ivory horn at the two thugs like a boomerang, smacking them repeatedly as the horn spun around, hitting them over and over before returning to Remiel's hand.

The sound of hands clapping slow could be heard from behind as Remiel saw a black furred Bat with a red muzzle, and bright yellow eyes. His mere presence made the Angel immediately turn back into his Mobian form.

"Don't try to hide yourself, old friend. I still remember you from eons ago. It's been too long since the last time we've arrived here. As I recall, I taught these mutts how to make weapons and shields-" The Bat gloated before Remiel punched him in the jaw.

"Hmph, good that you remember me, at least." The Bat scoffed, wiping the blood off of the corner of his mouth.

"What do you want, Azezel? As I recall, our friendship ended I was released from Abyss." Remiel crossed his arms at his former comrade.

"It did. You were deemed "More good than harm" out of all of the Gregori. Out of all 200, only you were spared. You served only 4 generations while the rest of us are still in Abyss... Didn't you also agree to bear the burdens of our little escapades?" The Bat sneered, not even trying to hiding who he was.

"Yes... I did... but my release wasn't my doing. I remember being baffled, confused when it happened... But this doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" Remiel repeated his question as he sat down on a chair at a table, prompting Azezel to do the same as it became clear that their battle was not one of martial might, but of wit and will.

"Was she beautiful, Remiel? You've spent all your time with her that you've taught the humans nothing. At least I left my mark before I was cast down. What did you do?" Azezel crossed his arms as he leaned back against his chair. The question caused the Angel to think long and hard about the woman he would later go to Abyss for. Her hair was a Bright Auburn with sparkling Green eyes. A rarity, even today. He remember his son being a bloodthristy tyrant, but before that... before, he seemed ignorant of his heritage. As if it would've been possible to have taught him what it meant to be Human before he learned what it meant to be Nephilim... But it was far, far too late for that...

"I can't even remember their names..." Remiel muttered under his breath, searching his mind for the name his human wife had. A name is son had... But nothing... 4 eons in Abyss had wiped any memory of his family clean.

"Huh, you'll sleep with the harlot, and you won't even remember her name. What kind of husband are you?" Azezel, prodded, wanting to make Remiel do something that would draw unwanted attention.

"Thrid time. Why are you here?" Remiel asked again, keeping track of how many times he's asked the same damn question.

"Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?" Azezel began, cluing his opponent in on where this conversation was going.

"Speak for yourself. I refuse to believe you've moved on. I'd know if you did." Remiel crossed his arms, giving up on merely asking Azezel why he was here. So he got up, and walked around to see if the Overlanders were armed more effectively than the Mobians. If so, then it would be proof of Azezel's involvement, and explain his presence.

The Overlanders looked to be packing some bizarre weaponry that looked like it belonged in an old-school cyberpunk setting. Their armor was comprised of gas masks that covered the mouth and nose, yet left the rest of the head exposed, hard, Black Leather jackets with Kevlar Vesrs attatched to them on the front and back, and spiked pauldrons on both shoulders. It couldn't have been possible that mankind's weapons research reached this level. They haven't had the urge to fight amongst themselves since The Ordeal.

"Well that was Anti-climactic..." A Thin woman with a Black Pompadour stated as he sat down in front of Azezel once Remiel was a good distance away.

"Perhaps... But i've already succeeded in what the Master wishes of me. He'd rather the rest play itself out from this point on." Azezel leaned back as he crossed his legs.

"Wouldn't hurt to have an insurance policy in case you-know-who gets any funny ideas." The woman rolled her eyes as she done the same.

"No wonder the Master chose you as his top lieutenant, Lilith... Alright, what do you suggest?" Azezel shook his head after finding the logic of Lilith's words to be sound.

"Loki's a great instrument of Chaos, but he's also the kind where he'd let Abyss freeze over if it amused him. I want you to find him, and keep tabs on him. Make sure he doesn't get any ideas. Amuse him." Lilith suggested, sensing Loki's presence.

"Over a thousand years of The Angels taking over, and it's Loki of all people that has you worried... Alright, Lilith... i'll keep him on-track. But you have to take care of the winged boy scout that was just here recently." Azezel told Lilith, nodding his head to where Remiel walked off to before he stood up to leave.

"Don't worry. He won't get far..." Lilith nodded back before she walked off to trail Remiel, letting a snake slither onto her arm as it appeared from behind her as she stalked her prey from within the crowd.

..........

Up in the Heavenly plains, Lance was focusing his body into a meditative state of being. For the first time in his entire life, he could zone out the rest of the world around him, and find the weight that had pressed down on his mind remove itself from his presence. Raphael had returned with a Creature that, once Lance opened his eyes, could recall as Humanoid. He had never seen a live Human up close before, so this was new for him.

"Who's this? WHAT is this?" Lance asked as he looled at the Human in Orange maiden robes.

"This, as Remiel had told me, is Amane Kuzuryu, amd she had helped in vanquishing the Demon threat over a thousand years ago." Raphael answered before something beckoned him to leave him with this Amane.

"You certainly don't look threatening. Tell me, why did the angels feel tense around you?" Amane asked in a monotone voice. It felt... odd for Lance to have his first experience with a human be her of all people.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm not from here. I'm not from anywhere..." Lance scoffed, looking to the side as he began feeling as though he didn't belong to anyone. Mephilis hated him, Remiel's superiors want nothing to do with him... It was enough to make this cynical soul question why he even tried... Amane only raised her eyebrow at this.

"Remiel is usually very spot on on who is and isn't allowed here. And while the ultimate authority on whom stays goes to our Lord, he hasn't been here for some time. I fear that might be why the Xorda attack was as successful as it was in wiping out the Old World." She said, causing Lance to snap his attention to her.

"Old World? To my knowledge, there was only one." Lance told her before Amane took a step forward toward Lance.

"There are many worlds, and many plains of which various beings exist. I was merely referring to the world that you call Mobius, in a time when it wasn't Mobius. A thousand years ago, a race known as Humans walked the earth as the dominant species." She explained while Lance's eyes moved up and down to check her out. Luckily, she didn't seem to care... or even react...

"You've never seen a human before. Have you?" Amane asked in that same stoic tone. It almost made Lance feel uncomfortable with how little she emoted. He'd rather go back to Gwyndis over staying here.

"No. Are they all like you?" He asked, needed to know if Humanity was this... stoic.

"Most aren't, however, I doubt the people below us know what people were like in the Old World either." She answered.

"Why are you here, exactly?" Lance inqured as he finally stood up to face Amane.

"Raphael told me that he had buisness elsewhere, but he couldn't leave you by yourself, so he told me to watch you." She answered bluntly.

'Pfft. A real charmer, this one...' Lance thought to himself, feeling himself tire of Amane's lack of emotions.

"I... know you don't think of me as much because I don't emote much, if at all. My upbringing is to blame for that. In the Old World, my father forbade me from having friends, from having emotions that were "unbefitting" of a Maiden... However, that wasn't to say that I wasn't cared for. I still went to school, and still made a name for myself... it's just that... the path I took was a lonely one." Amane told Lance, her eyes shifting down somehwat sadly as if sensing his slight irritation with her.

"Oh! I..." Lance hesitated, taken by surprise by Amane's ability to read people. His face quickly became flush with embarrassment since he knew he could take back what she knew easily. 

"It's okay. I'm used to it by now. How goes your due diligence?" Amane asked, but just before Lance could answer, a Throne told her of Castle Acorn being under attack.

"Looks like we'll see for ourselves if you're ready to handle yourself. Come, we must protect our ally." She commanded Lance to follow her down to Castle Acorn.


	18. (W.I.P)

Lance had returned with Amane to Mobius, where Amane slowly looked around, taking note of their surroundings. "This place... It looks no different than Earth in the 10th Century. Look, vegetation has regrown exponentially since the Xorda invasion." She stated as she pointed out the plant life looks somewhat more... alive than the Old World. It was almost impossible to tell if it truly was Earth regrowing it's flora, or the work of some... outside force.

Just then, what looked like tiny, winged humanoids flew around Lance and Amane, leaving a trail of sparkling light behind them as they flew close enough to touch Lance, prompting him to laugh as their touch tickled him. "Haha! Hahahahaha! Ah! Amane, whahahat are thehehehese thihihihinnngs!?" Amane looked at Lance with an eyebrow raised before she inspected the winged humanoids.

"Lance, those are called Pixies. Creatures who are natives to Forests. We must be close to one to have them greet us right away." Amane pointed out as Lance fell to the ground laughing. "Hahaha! These Pixies are great! They're totally harmless!" Lance blurted down, with made the pixies stop flying around Lance, and slowly turn their heads to give him a disgusted scowl before they all collectivly cast Zio on him, shocking his body before he got up, and pulled his saber out.

The Pixies did NOT look amused...

"Hmph! The nerve on you! You're lucky it was us, and not some Slime that pounced you!" One of the Pixies pouted, looking over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Lance.


End file.
